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Mount Vernon, Washington

S tacy Chapin is filling her cart in the produce aisle at Haggen when she sees her friend Barb.

It’s a lazy Sunday. Her husband, Jim, is on his way back to the tiny condo in nearby La Conner they bought after they sold their big house in Mount Vernon.

He’s been at his workshop at a sawmill outside of Coeur d’Alene, a mammoth six-hour-plus drive away.

Jim left at eight a.m., so Stacy has plenty of time for a catch-up.

She puts her basket down to exchange news with Barb. When her phone rings and she sees it’s Maizie calling, she figures no big deal, she’ll call her back when she’s finished talking.

Although, as she thinks about it, it is unusual for Maizie to call. Normally she texts her mother and they arrange a time to talk.

Of all her kids, the quickest to communicate is Ethan, from whom she’s yet to hear this morning.

Which is odd. She texted Ethan a few hours ago asking him for photos from Maizie’s formal last night, but he hasn’t responded.

Ordinarily, he’s the first of her kids to reach out in the mornings, no matter how heavy the night before.

And usually when she texts him, he answers right away, no matter the hour.

It’s like there’s a psychic bond between them.

Anyhow, no big deal. Stacy carries on talking.

When she’s finished, she sees that Maizie has called her multiple times. Now she’s trying her again.

This time Stacy picks up. “Maizie?” she says.

But it isn’t Maizie. It’s Hunter calling from his sister’s phone. He’s on speaker. Stacy can hear wailing in the background.

“Ethan’s not here anymore,” Hunter says.

Stacy doesn’t understand. “Well, go get him.”

Hunter tries again. “No, you don’t understand. He and Xana aren’t here.”

Stacy is growing impatient. Like Maizie, she doesn’t suffer fools. “So get in the car and go find them.”

What is that—crying?

Hunter says, “Mom, you don’t understand. They’re not on this earth anymore.”

Stacy doesn’t believe what her son is telling her.

She abandons her cart in the aisle, walks out of the store, and calls Jim from her car. He’s just dropping into the Skagit Valley. He’s almost home.

“I think something’s happened to Ethan and he’s been killed,” she says.

Jim doesn’t understand; he can’t process. But he knows one thing and so does his wife: Whatever’s happened, they have to get to Hunter and Maizie.

Right now. They have to get to their kids.